Where to begin to talk about this book..it’s the first one of the series, it made me know Raistlin and I never ever forgot him. Reading it again, I see I still feel for him as I always did. He touches my soul, it goes deep, he is the only reason I so much loved this book since I first read it. Without him, it would have been nice, sure, full of adventure and funny moments, but honestly nothing extraordinary. Raistlin is so important to me it’s embarassing. I can’t say “the most important” because I can’t forget Allanon, I’ve loved him so much, but they are different, and Raistlin speaks to my soul, I understand him, I feel for him, I feel his pain and I understand his actions. The other characters, being the stupid they are, think he’s rude and evil, but how would you like if someone always treated you like a little child? If someone your own age treated you like that, always ‘don’t go it’s dangerous’ and ‘I’ll carry you’ and ‘I’ll help you’ , and ‘if you don’t want to go I’ll stay with you’, all the time, every day of your entire life, that you ask for it or not, would you be pleased or would you shout ‘go where you want and leave me alone, I’m a man not a doll!’ ? So yes, he’s a character despised by all, loved by his twin brother although in the wrong way, trusted by nobody; he’s part of the companionship and yet he has relatively little space, compared to the others. Unfortunately, for I read only for him.
I always loved how it started, with this strange man coming at the inn and starting rearranging the furniture, for the group of people that would soon arrive, I specially like the fact that he wants another chair “a comfortable one, mind you” in the shadowy corner next to the firepit, and I think that was were Raistlin sat, since he was in shadows and his frail body could certainly use the comfort. These friends had gone their separate ways with the sacred oath to meet again in five years and report about the evil in the world. They all come but Kitiara, the brother's mercenary older half-sister. When the strange old man talks of the ancient God Paladine, and has Goldmoon sing a song (because she can’t “tell a story” , she sings it ) the local theocrat jumps up screaming of blasphemy, and he keeps going even after he’s healed with the blue staff! The man’s crazy :-/
I don’t like that staff, it heals ‘the pure’, but if injures Raistlin. To defend Goldmoon, all the companions escape with her from the back exit, which means a 40 feet drop. From now on, they travel together, fight together, trying to stay alive at first, then to understand what’s going on, and then to try and save their world. It’s like a D’n’D game, this book, with the knight always so boring, the warrior all action and no thinking, the mage that every morning must learn his spells, and must rest to be able to concentrate, and all that.
Raistlin notices that the constellations of the Queen of Darkness and of the Valiant Warrior are gone, they have come to Krynn. They meet some clerics who actually are reptile-men, and I like to see Raistlin fight side by side with Caramon, I love when he appears beside him “I am here, broher” *sigh* , then go to Darken Wood where they don’t listen to Raistlin, as always, and get into trouble, and he saves the situation, being the voice of the army of the dead. Centaurs bring them to the Forestmaster, a unicorn; she calls some pegasi to transport them to Xak Tsaroth, but the pegasi are afraid and leave them early and they walk the rest of the way. They find that Que-Shu, Goldmoon’s homeland, is burning and there is nobody. Taken prisoners by the draconians, they escape thanks to Tas, who enters a fake dragon and helps them. I liked that Goldmoon stayed with Raistlin when he was dying of a poisoned dart, and she stroked his white hair, but hated how she looked at him in disgust because he wasn’t all mushy and after he was healed with the staff he simply told Caramon that he needed to be alone and rest.
Finally at Xak Tsaroth, they are attacked by a dragon: Khisanth, or Onyx. Riverwind seems dead, but he’s not yet, and they don’t want to take him to Goldmoon, they wanted to finish him off, but Raist told them to take him to her and he took the blanket off him in front of her when the others didn’t want to ‘obey’ her, and so she cured him! Tanis here thinks how he hates Raistlin because he sees no emotions in him, as if losing it would serve any purpose!
In that Temple the Goddess of healing, Mishakal, spoke to her and told her to go to the dragon’s lair and take the Disks of Mishakal. When they attempt it, Raist says he knows the name of the stairs of the city, the Paths of the Dead, and they are all ‘how do you know?’ and ‘what else you haven’t told us?’ and he replies ‘when you played, I studied’ and nobody of them trusts him because he’s different from them, in other words he’s intelligent.
To discover the way to the lair, they think of asking the gully dwarves that once lived there and now work there as slaves for the draconians. Raistlin goes towards a group of them, does a few tricks with his hand to catch their attention, then casts a friendship-spell. I hated how idiot Sturm was alarmed, thinking he could have done that spell to them anytime, and yet he never did!! Is Raist alarmed that Sturm could cut him in two with that big sword? Tsk.
Those gully dwarves are now in adoration of Raist, more or less like me, and Bupu stands out and brings them to their leader the Highbulp, although he doesn’t really know the way and she does.
When Raist tells Caramon to look for a book in there, the book of the mage Fistandantilus, Caramon is all ‘did he wear the black robes?’ and Raist is angry “you are as bad as the others! How can any of you understand me?”
Bupu leads the way but the Highbulp has betrayed them so the dragon knows their plan and takes Raist prisoner, while all the idiots doubt his loyalty :-/
He’s ready to sacrifice his life attempting one last spell knowing the dragon would immediately kill him, but he would do it because nobody ever defeated him, not out of love for them, since he values his life more than theirs, but he won't admit a defeat without a fight. He hears a voice in his head calming him, but he doesn’t need to die because Goldmoon steps forward and kills the dragon with the staff, and then she disappears in light and they think she’s dead, but they’ll find her alive in the temple, of course. Before going away while everything’s falling down, Raistlin frantically looks for his book without success. While they escape through the pot-lift and scream to him to get in, he runs to get Bupu in his arms and carries her to safety with them. He helps them, killing a flying draconian with his magic, and they escape the city.
At night, he hears crying and he’s annoyed thinking it’s Goldmoon but when he realizes it’s Bupu he goes to her after checking that nobody can see him. “What is it , little one?”, he asks her gently, and they say he’s evil! She’s sad to leave her home and her people, so he looks at her with, and I quote, “infinite tenderness” , then Raist convinces her to go back, telling her he’ll be happy knowing she’s safe, stroking her dirty hair, “knowing what if felt like to be weak and miserable, an object of ridicule and pity”. She wants to give him a gift and what is that?!? Fistandantilus’ book! Before she goes away, he puts a hand on her head and prays to the Great One that she might go through her life in safety and happiness… awww.
Then he sees that Solace is on fire! They go there to find that only the Inn and a few other buildings are still up, although down on the ground, but the old trees are all burned. The inn is full of draconians, and Gilthanas is there. Tika saves him, but then they’re arrested. All their things are taken, but Goldmoon doesn’t want to give them the pack with the disks, and Raist tells her to do it, that it’ll be all right, and she screams “No! You’re a traitor” without any reason other than being a stupid whining princess. Of course she has to give it or they would all be killed , then Raist casts a fake spell of protection to impress the guards. They’re taken prisoner, they are to be taken to the mines as slaves. Goldmoon heals poor blacksmith Theros, almost dead because he has helped elves escape death, and Gilthanas wants to pull her away, moaning to let him die in peace saving him from her barbaric rituals, although he knows nothing of her!
On the road they meet the same old man, who says his name is Fizban. Taken prisoner with the others, he helps Raist (whispering “Fistandan… not the time…) who seems afraid to see him.
They are both magi, and Fizban talks of teaching him the fireball-spell :lol:
They are saved by the elves; Raist yells when Fizban casts the fireball to the lock, but then always keeps close to him. At the council, he runs to help him with his hat, fallen on his eyes :-)
They go to Qualinesti to learn that it’s about to be abandoned. They start a quest to stop or at least delay the attack on Qualinesti. Gilthanas goes with them. When they have to fight a gigantic slug, they discover Laurana has followed them (because in love with Tanis) .
Raist reasons that they have no choice but to take her along, and Tanis hates him for his “cold, unfeeling logic, and for being right”, as if that was reason for hate! He casts a spell of opening, the first from Fistandantilus book. Later he warns them not to open a certain door, and the usual idiot is like “why not? you want to alert someone before we find the way into Pax Tharkas?”, he really has the nerve to say that, when Raist has helped much more than him! I can’t wait for him to get out of the way..
Gilthanas opens it , Raist says “you will regret this” and sure enough inside there is the very dangerous spirit of a dark elf, and they can only run. To save them all, Raist casts a spell on the door to close it. Again that voice in his head, helping him..
Tax and Fizban are gone, but they’ll manage anyway; Tas will think Fizban dead with no proof, and wrongly, but I say that because I know it, they don’t reveal it yet.
They enter Pax Tharkas and plan to disguise themselves among the women to free all the prisoners, men, women and children. How unbearable is it that in such a dangerous situation they fight over a dress or a shave? Riverwind will never wear a dress, Sturm would rather die than shave his moustache… how immensely stupid is this. If he wants it so much let him die and be happy.
Goldmoon finds who she was looking for when she heals Elistan and he gets interested in the Goddess and her disks. Lord Verminaard’s dragon Ember, or Pyros, has a spy among the group. Will it be Raistlin the mage nobody trusts for no reason, Gilthanas the elven prince, or Eben the man they have known for like a couple of days and of which they know nothing about?? And Tanis the wise couldn’t work that out! He asks them about their actions: Eben has a reasonable explanation, Gilthanas says he came to check on Raist and Raist says “none of you trusts me, so why should you believe me? I refuse to answer”. sigh.
When they rescue the children and the dragons wakes up (beause of Tanis’ blade vibrating at its presence), it is Raist who stays back to help him escape, and still St-idiot yells ‘you trust this..’ and I just think: aren’t you hungry, poor dragon???
Raist makes it dark so they escape, than Verminaard appears yelling he will kill them all, he’ll destroy them all, and yells “I will destroy the children” and the poor old dragon that cared for them and still remembers when all her children died in the old war, hearing these words thinks her children at in danger and goes out to defend them. Matafleur attack Pyros, and after a great battle they die together. I must confess that aside from Raist praying for Bupu, Matafleur was the only thing that touched me, I almost had tears for her.
Verminaard has to fight against the four of them, but he is a cleric and the Queen of Darkness helps him, so he’s winning easily; can I just say how stupid it was on Sturm’s part to salute his opponent with his sword after he saw Verminaard put out of combat Raist, Tanis and Caramon?
Anyway, at last the Queen of Darkness sees a radiant God dressed in white and shining armor and she’s afraid, she didn’t know he was back, and retreats to think, leaving Verminaard alone, so that Tanis can kill him.
At the last day of Autumn, Goldmoon and Riverwind get married by Elistan, and they honor the tradition of not purchasing their gifts. Every “symbol of love must be made by the hand of the beloved” and yet Goldmoon gives Flint her jewels so that he can work them and use them to bond her hair together , so what, Riverwind’s beloved is actually Flint??? and isn’t a little macabre to give your hair as a present?
They leave us with the mystery of who it is the mysterious man that escaped Pax Tharkas and that has a green gem in his chest! Of which I have absolutely no idea, although I read the whole series, years ago.
Story of Krynn. in ages deep, dragons made war on this world, then a knight of Solamnia, Huma, Knight of truth and power, called the Gods, and Paladine, great God of Good helped him. He forged the mighty Dragonlance and the Queen of Darkness was banished: it was the end of the Age of Dreams and began the Age of Might. The great kingdom of Istar’s kingpriest wanted the same power and like Huma summoned the Gods to help him purge the world of sin, but they didn’t. A Cataclysm came over the city destroying it: it was now the Age of Despair. People felt the gods had abandoned them, and this led the way of new false clerics, like the seekers (we seek the new gods), who with time cared more about their gained power than about religion. Krynn has two moons, the red moon Lunitari and the silver moon Solitari.
Caramon the handsome giant strong and cheerful but thick as a piece of wood, who wears a dragon helm, ring-mail armor under the cape, a longsword and a battered shield, a short bow and a dagger, a warrior! :-/ When the are in Xak Tsaroth his plan would be ‘let’s fight the dragon and take the disks’ :-/ tsk.
and Raistlin the slim brother who was never suited for action but always had a powerful mind. They are 25 years old. Raistlin was the youngest mage ever to be chosen to take the test, but in the Towers of High Sorcery something happened to him and to Caramon as well, but they don’t say what yet.
“He’s changed” says Caramon: now his skin has a metallic golden color, glistening in the firelight; his eyes with the black pupils now the shape of hourglasses, his pale blue irises now glittering gold. He wears the red robes of neutrality and speaks in a soft, wheezing voice, barely above a whisper, often with a note of sarcasm. Everybody can see there’s a strong aura of power in him. He has long nervous hands and the victory at the Towers left his body broken, he often coughs blood. The damage to his body is permanent, his sacrifice for his magic. It gets better when he drinks his special herbal mixture, a recipe given to him by Par-Salian.
He starts with a ‘floating-spell’, to float 40 feet down, then a sleep spell.
Once he attempted to expose a charlatan cleric who was taking advantage of the people, but they were not thankful and instead of turning against the fraud they turned against him and almost burned him at the stake! He saw the Wonderful Waylan when he was 8, showed immediately great talent and his father brought him to learn magic.
Solace: built above ground, on the great vallenwood trees. The Inn of the Last Home, built in a living tree high in the branches, 40 feet off the ground, run by Otik and Tika, home for Tanis and many others.
Tika Waylan, 19, red curls and big curves. Her father was the Wonderful Waylan, the illusionist that started Raistlin’s interest in magic. He always admired Raistlin for his magic, but also always feared his anger.
Flint Fireforge, dwarf, retired metalsmith, 148 years old, uses a dagger and a battle-axe. He hates goblins and gully dwarves. He was their prisoner for three years and now wants to kill ALL the gully dwarves as if they were all responsible! And he’s supposed to be a good one!
Tanis wears a green hood a sword, a longbow, and shows a brownish-red beard, heritage of his human blood. His half-elf, since a human man raped an elven woman. Tanis is now 102 years old, although he looks like 30. He grew up with the elves of Qualinesti, and Laurana and her brother Gilthanas were his childhood friends, daughter and son of the Speaker of the Suns, the leader.
Tasslehoff Burrfoot, a kender, which means he is extremely curious, never afraid, and with an innocent, child-like expression.
Sturm wears a full plate armor and chain mail, with the symbol of the Order of the Rose on the breastplate. He is a Knight of Solamnia, and also the greatest idiot on Krynn, probably. He’s always
talking about honor and nothing else, his code says never run away, never hide… Tanis says there’s a difference between being cautions and being a coward; I add that there’s a difference between being honorable and being an idiot: Sturm is an idiot. I mean, he wanted to fight Riverwind because he said ‘I’ll stand guard with you’, saying the usual ‘honor is my life’ and ‘you insult me’ and stuff like that. He would like to fight the dragon instead of finding a way unseen.
He never trusted Raistlin, he distrusts all magic at that, surely because he can’t understand it and because magi’s are smarter than him, all of them. Not that it takes a lot with him.
Kitiara was wild, impetuous, hot-tempered, the opposite of Tanis, yet they had a relationship and Tanis still loves her.
Goldmoon is Chieftain’s Daughter of the Plain Tribe, and she carries the blue staff of healing. She’s in love with Riverwind..
Sometimes she’s okay, helding herself well without screaming like a stupid or without being rude like the others, but other times she’s just annoying, like when Riverwind tells Tanis she’s afraid of heights and she screams “How dare you tell him!” *rollingeyes*
Riverwind’s family believed in the ancient gods and for this they were outcast. When he fell in love with Goldmoon so above him, he was sent by the chieftain on a quest to find a sign of them. He travelled for years and came back ill with the blue staff, but the chieftain didn’t know what it was and didn’t believe him, so he condemned him to be stoned to death. Goldmoon ran to him and the staff saved them by transporting them away, on the road, and thus they came to Solace.
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